Is Global Entry Worth it?

There are all sorts of opinions I've read and heard about Global Entry. As a member for about 1 year, my initial thoughts were that it was pretty lack luster. I had a few international trips in the beginning of my membership and when returning to the states, the immigration lines were about the same length. Sure, TSA Pre-check is cool but I was mostly interested in Global Entry. This is because in 2015 and 2016, I had about 8 different work trips that had me flying out of the country. Every single time when returning to the country, and I mean EVERY...SINGLE...TIME, I would fill out the immigration questionnaire and low and behold, I'd get the dreaded "X" on my picture.

If you aren't familiar with the process, here are the basics. When entering the United States from a trip abroad, you have to fill out an Immigration and Customs Declaration form. They have since updated this and now after exiting your aircraft, you go to a computerized kiosk and fill out the form. Based on your responses and your passport information, they do a simple background check to ensure that you are who you say you are. They take your picture and if all checks out, you are free to head on to wherever you need to go. However, if there is any discrepancy with your form or personal information, you get flagged. Getting flagged doesn't mean you are a criminal or that you lied on your form, it simply means that an immigration officer needs to look into your details further. The problem is that every person who gets the "X" has to wait in line to speak to an immigration officer. There have been instances where I've waited almost 2 hours in line (I'm lookin' at you Fort Lauderdale International Airport.)

So imagine this. You've been away from home for 20+ days with limited wifi to stay in communication. You were just on a 10+ hour flight. All you want to do is greet your beautiful wife with a hug and kiss and now you get put into an additional line. By the time you get to the front of the immigration line, the officer briefly looks at your travel documents, asks a basic question like "what was the nature of your travel" and then stamps your passport and you are free to go. This happened to me every damn time. It's incredibly frustrating. Each time, I'd probe the immigration officer to try and get some shred of information as to why I got the "X" and none would ever give me anything useful. Until one day...I wish I could remember the name of this glorious civil servant. His name should be carved into the marble entryway of the airport so that all foreigners visiting our country could see what a mighty land this country is. This officer, let's call him "Officer Rambo James Bond Badass"...or Officer RJBB for short, told me that most likely, someone with a similar name, or similar passport number may be wanted for a crime. So I asked, "what can I do to prevent getting this X?" I have no control over what someone else may or may not have done. To which Officer RJBB replied, "you should get Global Entry, it'll solve this problem for you." Global Entry members are classified as "trusted travelers" and a more thorough background check is performed to give them this classification. Once you get approved, it should be smooth sailing. 

So without question, I applied. The process seemed a little outdated. The website seems to have been made back when Geocities was a thing. After your application is submitted (and you pay the $100 non-refundable fee) you go through an initial approval process. Once you pass that stage, then you have to schedule an in-person interview at the airport. If you are interested in getting Global Entry yourself, be forewarned. After the conclusion of the interview, they take your photo for the ID right there. In fact, I wasn't even aware that the photo was taken. The interview is very basic and straight forward. They asked me what I did for a living and why I was purchasing Global Entry. I was expecting a more thorough interview but once it was done, in about 2 weeks I got my card and all the pompous self-righteous arrogance that comes associated with it. 

As I stated earlier, I have had it for a year now. Right off the bat, TSA-Precheck is great. You can fly right through security at the airport without having to remove your laptop or electronics from your bag. You don't have to take off your shoes and have everyone around you judge that your socks don't match and have holes in them. Plus, once your bag comes through the X-Ray, you aren't slowed down by people redressing, repacking, or counting all the individual pennies that they put through the machine to make sure they didn't get robbed. But does it get rid of the "dreaded X" when returning from out of the country? So far, yes. I haven't had a single issue with the "X." There are some takeaways that I've learned though. Because I travel with my photo/video gear, if I don't claim the equipment before leaving the country (and if I get caught by Customs,) my Global Entry could be revoked. I plan on having an entire blog post about this annoying process in the future. Secondly, depending on the time of day that your return flight arrives, the Global Entry line may be just about as long as the regular line. The difference is that they prioritize Global Entry. The line moves much quicker. On the other hand, I can remember a specific time when I was returning back from a trip to the Caribbean. I was traveling with the crew that just finished wrapping up our production. I had Global Entry but some of the other crew members did not. When we got off the plane and walked to immigration, the line for non-Global Entry members was longer than I'd ever seen it. There must have been almost 800-900 people in line. My process through Global Entry that day took 2 minutes. That experience alone was well worth the $100. 

So, in conclusion. Am I team "Global Entry" or "Glen" for life? That's a nickname I came up with so I'd appreciate if you'd help me get that going. But to answer the question, most likely. The cost of the membership is nominal compared to the time I would have lost through my travels. Plus it lasts 5 years, which I think is a reasonable amount of time. But, there are definitely people I don't recommend applying. 

1. If you don't travel out of the country often, its a tedious application process and you won't really get your money's worth. You can however purchase TSA-Precheck separately.
2. If you import goods regularly, this membership is probably not for you. This will not save you any time in Customs.
3. Global Entry is only going to save you time in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. If you are from another country, they may have a separate Trusted Traveler program for you.

Farewell and safe travels.